EN
The social meaning of artistic creation derives from how works of art function, or how they are used. In this sense, the incorporation of a work of art into the realm of commercial relations does not depreciate art, but is a specific mode of its existence. An analysis of this mode reveals two antithetical types of logic behind the dissemination of art. One is the market logic that turns a work of art into a profit- -generating commodity through the sale/purchase acts in which it is involved. The other one is the mystical logic of ‘the bond between the owner and the possession’ - in this case between the artist and his or her work - which dates back to archaic forms of culture. The presence of this logic in commercial relations is reflected in the fact that a work of art acquires the status of ‘intellectual property’, which simultaneously restricts its free circulation and offers the prospect of unlimited profits to its owner. Thus, a work of art as ‘intellectual property’ turns out to be a hybrid whose disfunctionality is clearly exposed by the communication practices of the global network.